(February 29, 2008)—Flanked by veterans and retired military brass, Hillary Rodham Clinton told a crowd of supporters Friday in Waco that U.S. troops deserve a president who’s committed to ending the war in Iraq and who knows how to do it.

“This is a defining difference between me and Sen. McCain who is a friend of mine and who I admire for his service to our country,” Clinton said.

“He has said it would be fine to keep troops in Iraq for 50 to 100 years and I think it takes strength to know when to bring our troops home and the time is now,” she said.

But the primary focus of her speech Friday was the treatment of active duty military personnel and military veterans.

She said it would be her priority as president to give veterans the care and support they deserve and promised a new GI Bill for the 21st Century.

She also pledged to put money saved from the war to work here and across the state to invest in “a new clean renewable energy future,” green collar jobs and making college affordable for hard-working middle class families.

Clinton and Barack Obama are battling over who has the judgment to be the next commander in chief and a new campaign ad from Clinton portrays her as the leader voters would want on the phone when crisis occurs in the middle of the night, while Obama says Clinton has already helped draw the nation into an unpopular war.

Clinton, who was introduced by retired Gen. Wesley Clark, defended the campaign ad, saying she is ready now to answer the early morning phone call about an international crisis without first having to consult with advisers or opinion pollsters.

And she said when it came time to decide on whether to go to war with Iraq, Obama “was missing in action.”

“It is one thing to talk about change it is another thing to make change happen,” she said.

Her next stop was San Antonio in what could be a frantic weekend of campaigning ahead of Tuesday’s primary election, which could be decisive in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.

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